ASK MAULANA

If there is only one true religion and people who do not follow it will go to eternal Hell, as some people say, is it just of God to make some people to be born into families that follow this particular religion (because of which they are socialized into believing this religion), while He causes other people to be born into families that follow some other religion (because of which they are socialized into following these other religions). This second category of people did not consciously choose to be born into such families. Now, if God is just, why would He send the latter people into Hell forever? After all, He was the one who arranged for them to be born into families that follow religions other than the one that is said to be the only true one, because of which they were socialized into believing their religion is true. Some people will say that this belief—that only those who follow one particular religion (in the sense of believing in a set of beliefs and performing a set ritual practices) will go to Paradise and that all others will go to eternal Hell—indicates a wrong image of God, one of God as being supposedly unjust. They would also say that such a belief is inherently intolerant and aggressive. How would you respond? Reward and punishment in the Hereafter are not dependent on one’s birth into a family or a particular religion, but is, rather, dependent entirely on self-discovered truth. A person, to whichever religion or family he belongs, will succeed in the Hereafter only if he has been successful in self-discovery of the truth and the realities of life. o Successful People The people who ultimately are successful are those who are undaunted by disadvantageous circumstances; who waste no time in lamenting over them.